[Form 4] Business First Bancshares, Inc. Insider Trading Activity

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Business First Bancshares EVP & Chief Credit Officer Warren McDonald reported a routine equity-compensation tax event. On March 31, 2026, 1,158 shares of common stock were disposed of at $27.04 per share to satisfy tax obligations, not as an open-market sale. After this withholding, he directly holds 14,195 common shares.

McDonald also holds 9,273 time-based restricted stock units (RSUs) tied to common stock. These include 2,584 RSUs granted on December 12, 2024; 2,715 granted on March 1, 2025; and 3,974 granted on March 2, 2026, all vesting in scheduled installments over future anniversaries of their grant dates.

Insider Trade Summary

2 transactions reported

Mixed 2 txns

Insider McDonald Warren

Role EVP & Chief Credit Officer

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Tax Withholding	COMMON STOCK	1,158	$27.04	$31K
holding	Restricted Stock Units	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: COMMON STOCK — 14,195 shares (Direct); Restricted Stock Units — 9,273 shares (Direct)

Footnotes (1)

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Key Figures

Tax-withholding shares: 1,158 shares Price per share: $27.04 per share Shares held after: 14,195 shares +4 more

7 metrics

Tax-withholding shares 1,158 shares Common stock disposed of on March 31, 2026 for tax withholding

Price per share $27.04 per share Value used for 1,158-share tax-withholding disposition

Shares held after 14,195 shares Direct BFST common stock ownership following the transaction

RSUs underlying shares 9,273 shares Restricted Stock Units convertible into BFST common stock

2024 RSU grant 2,584 units Time-based RSUs granted December 12, 2024, vesting in two installments

2025 RSU grant 2,715 units Time-based RSUs granted March 1, 2025, vesting in two installments

2026 RSU grant 3,974 units Time-based RSUs granted March 2, 2026, vesting in three installments

Key Terms

Restricted Stock Units, time-based restricted stock units, tax-withholding disposition, payment of exercise price or tax liability by delivering securities

4 terms

Restricted Stock Units financial

"The security title is listed as "Restricted Stock Units" with underlying common stock."

Restricted stock units are a type of company reward where employees are promised shares of stock, but they only fully own these shares after meeting certain conditions, like staying with the company for a set time. They matter because they can become valuable assets and are often used to motivate employees to help the company succeed.

time-based restricted stock units financial

"Includes: (a) 2,584 time-based restricted stock units granted on December 12, 2024..."

Time-based restricted stock units are a form of employee compensation where individuals are granted company shares that are earned over a set period, often as a reward for staying with the company. These shares typically become fully owned and transferable only after passing specific time milestones, encouraging long-term commitment. For investors, they highlight a company's focus on employee retention and can influence future stock supply and company stability.

tax-withholding disposition financial

"transaction_action": "tax-withholding disposition" for 1,158 common shares."

A tax-withholding disposition is an event or transaction—such as selling or transferring securities, exercising options, or receiving compensation—that triggers a requirement to hold back part of the payment and remit it to tax authorities. It matters to investors because it reduces the cash they receive immediately and can change the timing and amount of taxable income, like a cashier taking a portion of your sale proceeds to pay taxes before you get the rest.

payment of exercise price or tax liability by delivering securities financial

"transaction_code_description": "Payment of exercise price or tax liability by delivering securities""

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

McDonald Warren

(Last) (First) (Middle)

500 LAUREL STREET, SUITE 101

(Street)

BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA 70801

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Business First Bancshares, Inc. [ BFST ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	EVP & Chief Credit Officer

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
03/31/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
COMMON STOCK	03/31/2026		F		1,158	D	$27.04	14,195	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Restricted Stock Units	$0.0000							(1)	(1)	Common Stock	9,273		9,273(1)	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. Includes: (a) 2,584 time-based restricted stock units granted on December 12, 2024, which will vest in two substantially equal installments on the second and third anniversary of the issuance date; (b) 2,715 time-based restricted stock units granted to the reporting person on March 1, 2025, which will vest in two substantially equal installments on the second and third anniversary of the issuance date; and (c) 3,974 time-based restricted stock units granted to the reporting person on March 2, 2026, which will vest in three substantially equal installments on the first, second, and third anniversary of the issuance date.

	/s/ Heather Roemer, as attorney-in-fact for Warren McDonald	04/02/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)